


The Greatest

by dfastback68



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, POV Alternating
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:13:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24965041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dfastback68/pseuds/dfastback68
Summary: The tale of a Supreme Leader and his Chancellor, told over eight mini stories.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 31
Kudos: 55
Collections: Kylux Positivity Week 2.0





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Kylux Positivity Week 2.0 Day 1: Chancellor/Supreme Leader. Rating may change later!

Coruscant had not welcomed the First Order’s arrival so much as it grudgingly conceded its autonomy. The centrists that populated the once-teaming capital of the galaxy were more sympathetic to the rule of the First Order than many other planets, but it still bore scars of independence and sovereignty bred by the carelessness of the New Republic. It didn’t resist its new master, but it did try to cling to power, and the control that came with it.

Supreme Leader Kylo Ren had enjoyed turning Coruscant upside down when he’d come here a year ago, scattering the worst of the sycophants and politicians and lobbyists. He’d lifted up the criminal underbelly from the forgotten lower levels, carefully dismissing Snoke’s loyalest contacts and replacing them with something new, something with more teeth to get the job done. The Supreme Council had disapproved, of course, warning against upsetting their wealthiest donors and allies. As if the First Order didn’t routinely do business with the likes of Kanjiklub and the Guavian Death Gang, among others, intending to pretend they’d done no such thing once in power.

Maybe that was what Snoke had intended, along with the old remnants of the Empire that still stocked his ranks of officers. They had their uses, certainly, but were starting to run thin, and he had more important things to do to ensure the longevity of the First Order. It certainly didn’t involve wasting away arguing with his Council and a thousand legions of bureaucrats. 

Kylo turned away from the window when he heard the door card open behind him, signaling the arrival of the solution to one of many problems -- he hoped. “General Hux.”

Hux walked in at a brisk pace, slowing slightly as he took in the empty seats around the conference table, grip tightening on his datapad. “Supreme Leader. I must have been given an incorrect time. I can return later -- “

“There was no mistake,” Kylo cut in, watching Hux default to a parade rest stance. He hadn’t been aboard a star destroyer nearly as long as Kylo, but old habits die hard. “There is still a meeting, but I called you early. I needed to discuss something with you in private.”

“I see,” said Hux, tipping his chin up. While Hux had never truly feared Kylo, a rare enough trait on its own, he’d been uneasy around him, especially after Crait. Kylo didn’t blame him. He knew what he’d done to the general, his once co-commander and rival. Hux tread carefully around him now, still simmering with bitterness under that calm facade, no doubt plotting to take advantage of a moment of weakness on Kylo’s part. “How might I serve you, Supreme Leader?”

“The purpose of this meeting with the Supreme Council is to announce some changes, effective immediately. I’ll be heading off planet soon. You understand my absence might give a few of them ideas about… opportunities.”

“You don’t trust the Council?” Hux asked, arching one brow.

“You do?” Kylo shot back, which earned him a tight, wicked little smile. It faded quickly, as Hux knew this wasn’t an inside joke between old friends. “My point is, someone needs to watch them while I’m gone. I could leave one of my knights, but I don’t want a passive spy. It would waste their time. I need someone that will actively engage with them, keep them on track, keep them focused.”

“A figurehead, then? You’d have to limit their authority or you risk enabling what you’re trying to avoid.” Hux appeared thoughtful, and Kylo could see the gears turning his head, plotting out hundreds of different scenarios that ended with him in control. Lucky for him, Kylo was going to make it very easy.

“A long time ago, when we first met, you told me of your aspirations.” Kylo walked towards the conference table as he spoke, and Hux watched him warily. “You knew better than to tell Snoke’s apprentice that your true desire was to sit on the throne, but I could sense it. Do you remember?”

“Of course,” Hux said, guarded. “We were both too trusting in those days.”

In the days before their assignment together turned bitter, jealous and mean. Kylo sat at the chair situated the head of the table, crossing one ankle over his knee. “We could learn from our younger selves. I recall you mentioned the title of Grand Marshal.”

Hux shifted his posture, his nose scrunching a little as he huffed. “An empty title now that you’ve named Pryde as Allegiant General. Having both would be redundant. If that is your offer, Supreme Leader --”

“It’s not,” he said. “I need you a better position. Pryde will wear out his welcome before long, but I know _you’re_ here to stay. I won’t keep you waiting for a title that’s not yours. Not when you can have something greater.”

By now Hux wasn’t even trying to conceal his suspicion, a frown camped out on his face. He typically expected to be ridiculed or demoted by the Supreme Leader, so the sudden appearance of a promotion was putting him on edge.

“I don’t understand,” Hux finally said, and Kylo could see it was the truth. Of Kylo’s many bizarre decisions since ascending as Supreme Leader, this one stumped him.

“You do,” Kylo said. “Pryde serves the memory of the Empire, rather than the First Order. The same could be said for most of the Supreme Council, save yourself and a few others. But you, _you_ above all the rest actually believe in the First Order, with every fiber of your being. You see its path, you see its future, and you have the capacity to make it real.”

Of course, Hux saw its success with him sitting at the top, but there was no reason to bring up treason. It hardly counted as treason anyways, Kylo had decided, because if Hux’s success meant the First Order’s success, they had the same goals after all.

“What are you proposing?” Hux asked, looking trapped between feeling ill and elated. How could he see this as anything other than a trap?

“I intend to announce the position of Chancellor. And I would prefer to announce exactly who holds the position, rather than let anyone think they have any chance of obtaining it. Accept, and you will be second only to me. In my absence, you will _be_ me. This isn’t a hollow figurehead with no teeth and no authority to rule. You of all people understand the consequences of betraying me. That makes _you_ the only one I can trust.”

Hux actually looked shocked at that, shoulders creeping up towards his ears. “With all due respect Supreme Leader, how do you know I can be trusted?”

Kylo leaned back in his seat, pressing his lips together. “I’m not asking for forgiveness. Nor do I expect it from you, given our history. I don’t know if this can even begin to make up for what’s -- for what I’ve done. But I do know I need to start somewhere.”

“I don’t require pity.”

“I’m not giving you that, either. If you could name someone other than yourself that’s better suited to the position, you’d have said it already. You’ve been the voice and face of the First Order for so long. We just make it official, now.” 

Hux swallowed, twisting the data pad about in his hands before he forced them still again. 

“You remember when we first met. We didn’t fight, not right away. We saw a shared goal, we took different paths, but in the beginning… it hadn’t mattered that much. I’ve had Snoke in my head for years, and the recent silence of his voice has revealed much. Enough to know I can’t waste more time here, knowing I can trust the First Order to you. In return, you have to trust me to hunt our more… esoteric enemies. There are threats only I can perceive, and crises only you can handle. We do this together, Hux, or not at all.”

“I suppose I don’t have much time to decide, when you put it like that,” Hux sighed, though at least now he looked more at ease with the concept. “If I agree, I assume we’ll have an opportunity to spell out the exact requirements of the role?”

“Of course.”

“And I reserve the right to refuse, should I find your offer misleading?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll also have a number of conditions to draw up, for your approval. Supreme Leader.”

“Do we have a deal, then?”

It was strange, Kylo thought, to be offering Hux such a position of power without an ounce of ulterior motive behind it. A year ago he relished the shift in power that brought Hux to knees in front him, helpless to do little but plot against him with no support. But now that he’d ascended beyond his master, stopped serving the voices that meant only to use him as a tool, he’d begun to find his own path, at last. Stranger still that it required Hux’s cooperation, but the future was a shining heart of kyber --

\-- waiting only on Hux to answer _yes_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kylux Positivity Week 2.0 Day 2: "You were just nearby."

On rare occasions Hux found himself regretting his decision to agree with Ren’s mad proposal, despite the astounding number of perks that came with the job. Over the past few months he’d settled into his new role quite well, finding all the obstacles Ren had once placed before him simply evaporated. All of his oldest and bitterest rivals, with Pryde chief among them, were handily sidestepped by his rank, and they answered to him without hesitation. The First Order had grown from a fringe military group to a full fledged and fully functioning government, and Ren had been surprisingly wise to adjust with this change. Just as surprisingly, Hux was now in a position to reap the benefits.

The regret, however, came hard and fast, as he’d traded the bridge of a star destroyer with the ballroom of a gala. One of them was objectively far more dangerous than the other, and yet he found himself longing for the merciless cold of space, safe with a war machine under his feet. Still, he’d done his fair share of networking as general, and it had paid off. He had to keep that skill sharp, but his adversaries were now diplomats and emissaries, faces and names from outside the Order. 

The transition alone had made him want to rescind his acceptance, but all he had to do was remember the look on Pryde’s face when Ren had announced Chancellor Armitage Hux. He was doing that now, in fact, eyes closed with a drink in one hand, ignoring the prattle and dancing of the idiots around him in favor of savoring Pryde’s silent rage and indignity. 

Such petty things shouldn’t give him strength, but when he opened his eyes, Hux was ready to rejoin the crowd. Most of the attendees knew who he was, and his position, but were still afraid to approach him. Even before the title of Chancellor came to him, he was the Starkiller. They’d found out quickly he didn’t respond to bribes or personal favors, just obvious deals that benefited the First Order. This was a less palatable way of doing business for them, though they had little choice but to abide by Hux’s rules.

Hux was halfway through his rounds when he felt someone come up behind him. They didn’t touch him, but the distance he’d always kept from other people as an officer made him very aware when someone got _too close._ Chin up, Hux turned to tell them off, or at least take a step back to appease whoever thought it socially acceptable to crowd him. The fake smile on his face turned to a grimace when he saw who it was, immediately straightening.

“Supreme Leader,” he said, a fleeting smile crossing his face as Ren remained hovering in his space, still maddeningly taller than him by just those scant inches. “I was unaware you’d returned.”

There certainly hadn’t been any indication he was on his way back, but it was just like Ren to schedule a surprise. By some miracle it looked like he was freshly washed. Hux assumed he’d return from any trip covered in mud and blood and death, as he often had in the past.

“I just got back,” said Ren, finally looking away from Hux to survey the crowd. People were starting to notice him, and parts of the crowd were thinning out very quickly. The bravest souls lingered, eager to look worthy enough to approach the Supreme Leader. Hux was entirely too aware that everyone was staring at them. When Ren turned back, he inclined his head, and held out his hand. “May I have this dance?”

Hux didn’t react, too certain he’d heard that wrong. But Ren kept eye contact, and his hand was still held out, palm up, waiting for a response. The dance floor wasn’t empty, he realized, though they both had the attention of the room. Refusing seemed suicidal given the circumstances, and Hux supposed this was the pivotal moment he’d been dreading. Ren was planning to make a fool of him yet.

“Of course, Supreme Leader,” he said, expression tight as he took Ren’s hand. Hux’s knowledge of dance was extremely limited, and most of it had been learned only in the past few weeks. Mercifully, the current song was even-tempered, and Ren led them into a simple step. Letting Ren take the lead felt analogous to something larger and more worrisome, but he didn’t shy from it, looping his free arm over Ren’s shoulders. Ren placed one of his overlarge hands on Hux’s hip, guiding them through the steps and around the other dancers. “Was your mission successful?”

“Mostly,” Ren said, annoyance crossing over his face. “We flushed out the Resistance, but found no new leads, and no sign of the girl.”

There it was -- the feverish gleam in his eyes, the grinding of his jaw, the anger that built up and rarely retreated once he was reminded of the _girl._ Hux was impressed Kylo Ren had had the patience and dedication to spend a year working on his new empire without flying off the handle over the scavenger. It was possible his return to the field was just going to make him feral again. Maybe Hux would never have to move against him to take full control of the First Order, so long as Ren destroyed himself looking for her.

“A pity,” Hux said, bracing himself for a diatribe, or some sort of outburst that would remind everyone what sort of person was running the galaxy: a madman. The only thing that happened, however, was Ren sweeping them across the floor with grace he never thought possible. He was hyper aware of every point of contact, and the burning heat of Kylo’s hands, his very presence. By the end of the song, Hux might have imagined Ren had pulled him closer, but they broke apart before he could be certain.

Another song started, and some continued to dance while new couples joined them on the floor. Hux realized he was still holding Ren’s hand.

“There are at least a dozen people willing to risk life and limb to share a dance with the Supreme Leader,” Hux said, pulling his hand free from Ren’s grasp. “Why me?”

Ren leaned in, as if it were a secret, and said: “Because you were just nearby.”

At that he swept past Hux, shoulders barely brushing, and Hux thought… certainly he’d heard that line before? It sounded so familiar.

Rejoining the crowd to socialize, Hux watched Ren out of the corner of his eye, noting who the Supreme Leader talked to, and who he avoided. This version of Ren that had emerged a year ago was new, and unexpected. Hux did not believe it would last, but he wasn’t fool enough to dismiss the opportunities that presented themselves.

 _I saved myself,_ he heard Ren’s voice, though he didn’t know if it was Ren himself, or the clarity of the memory. _You were just nearby._

He remembered now: the shuttle crash. Well, if this was to be no more than a marriage of convenience, then so be it. So long as the First Order benefitted, he’d play along.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kylux Positivity Week 2.0 Day 3: Soft Kylux

“Another gift? Careful, Ren, or I might start to think you _appreciate_ my work.”

Hux’s smile was stiff, but it was still one of the warmest greetings Kylo had gotten out of him yet. The antagonism had never really gone away, and distrust still sat at the forefront of the Chancellor’s thoughts, but Kylo couldn’t deny they’d slowly developed a functioning relationship, professional or otherwise. Hux hadn’t sprung a coup while he was off planet chasing leads, and Kylo rarely took issue with any of Hux’s decisions in his absence. 

Kylo wasn’t certain when he’d started bringing back _gifts_ for Hux, but it was becoming a strange habit. While Hux was still very minimalist and strict in all aspects of his life, Kylo had found a few ways to keep him entertained. Chief among them were the lightsabers, relics from the Old Republic, found in abandoned treasure troves or peddled by shady dealers in the darkest corners of the galaxy. It was fitting, Kylo thought, for such sacred weapons to be reduced to trinkets, now owned by a man so with little care or respect for the Force.

“You think I don’t? I do. And this isn’t a gift. Not quite like the others, anyways,” Kylo said, stepping ahead of Hux as they walked down the corridor. They passed the conference room, headed instead towards the garden observatory. For a man that spent most of his life on starships, Hux had a strange fondness for that room. “I went looking for this one specifically. The rest were just convenient.”

Hux scoffed, but Kylo snuck a quick look backwards, fast enough to catch the smirk pass over Hux’s face. Coruscant was not a green or natural sort of planet, but Kylo had to admit it had done wonders for Hux. He had access to better food, less chemically filtered water, adequate sunlight -- he wasn’t certain about the Chancellor’s sleep habit, but he looked far less sallow than he had on the _Finalizer._

The doors glided open in front of them, the air already heavier with humidity and fragrance. Near the floor-to-ceiling windows were couches and sofas and settees, surrounded by dozens of exotic plants and flowers. Hux was scanning the plants, looking for something new or out of place, completely unsuspecting.

“She was difficult to find,” Kylo said, and Hux’s head snapped back to look at him, alarmed. Kylo nodded towards the couches, where a middle-aged woman with long, braided blonde hair sat, nervously folding and unfolding her hands. He’d heard her name once in Hux’s memory, with little else to go off of besides _Anise._ When Kylo motioned towards her, she stood up, looking at once hopeful and worried, a sad smile filling her face.

“Ren,” was all Hux said, having stopped dead in his tracks, voice tight with disbelief. Not anger, though, or any sort of rejection. Just shock that such a thing was even happening.

“I didn’t mean to be so difficult,” Anise said, her accent similar to Hux’s, but a touch less formal. “It’s only that I thought -- well, I was afraid. I was afraid you didn’t want to see me.”

Hux had been silently warring with himself over how to react, how much emotion to show in front of Kylo Ren, but he eventually broke. With a choked ‘mum’ escaping him, he crossed the distance to her in a few long strides, and she nearly collapsed into his arms as they embraced. “ _Armitage,_ ” she wept, nearly a head shorter than him but standing on her toes to hug him.

It might have been better to let this reunion happen without him, Kylo realized. Of course he wanted to see Hux express any sort of emotion, either to use it as blackmail later, or just to observe him. Now it felt too intimate, and too real, knowing full well he’d never have such a reunion with his own mother. It was not something that bothered him often, but watching Hux now made something in his chest ache. He’d made his choices, and he was living with them -- quite well, all told. But every now and then, despite himself, he missed his parents. It was only normal, he supposed, and he’d tried so hard to excise those emotions that it had led to him killing his own father.

Kylo took a step back, intending to leave them. Already they were speaking low and quickly to one another, trying to talk and get answers at the same time in their hurry to reconnect. There was no reason for him to be a part of this.

“Kylo.” 

Hearing his first name from Hux’s lips made him turn back, seeing both of them watching him. Tears were shining in his mother’s eyes, held close by Hux’s arm wrapped around her shoulders.

“Join us.” It wasn’t a question, or a request, or even an order. Just the same, Kylo felt himself compelled to follow Hux and his mother to the couches, where he sat opposite them. “Ren, I’d like to hear what made you come up with this mad scheme.”

“The Supreme Leader was quite intimidating, you know, when he first approached me,” Anise said, clutching one of Hux’s hands.

“You don’t have to call me that,” Kylo said, quietly, but Anise was already talking ahead, glad to have a starting point to enlighten her son.

As she went on, Kylo felt more at peace with his ‘mad scheme.’ If she’d rejected Kylo’s offer, Hux would have never known about this at all. A series of false leads to the Resistance had led him to information about Hux’s mother, of whom Hux had only spoken of once, many years ago. Kylo had been stupid enough then to look into Hux’s memories to understand how he felt about their unhappy parting, and Hux had been so angry they never spoke of it again. That had been before Snoke really drove the wedge between them, needing only to pick at their missteps and magnify them into something worse.

Kylo found, over time, he had more regrets about how badly he’d damaged his relationship with Hux by listening to Snoke than anything else.

Anise laughed, and Kylo looked up to see them both smiling. It loosened that ache in his chest at last, knowing that even if he could never go back to his mother, there were some things in life he could still salvage.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kylux Positivity Week 2.0 Day 4: First Kiss

There was still always so much work to do.

Since ascending as Chancellor, Hux’s workload and duties had exploded tenfold, and it was wildly different from his time as general. Though he’d had a loyal crew to assist him, Hux had struggled to let go of even the tiniest of details. Starkiller had been so monumentally near and dear to him there was very little delegating -- even when he was expected to command a star destroyer on the other side of the galaxy. 

His role now was far outside the realm of engineering and stormtroopers and warfare. While he kept an eye on those very things frequently, the scope of his watch had expanded. He had, at least, gotten better about delegating. Being planetside forced him to address his circadian rhythm, and he had to admit his sleep had improved. Caf and stims remained a staple of his diet, and he might have gained just a little weight… it was difficult to turn away fresh baked bread from his mother, after all.

Much like the long shifts he’d pulled aboard the _Finalizer_ , Hux found himself in his office well beyond sundown, as the skyline turned vibrant and fluorescent with the awakening nightlife. And unlike the _Finalizer_ , his office on Coruscant was large and spacious, leaving room for extra furniture and other excessive possessions such as decorations. It was a good enough place to showcase any gifts he’d received as Chancellor, as his title and role expected him to display it for all to see.

So instead of falling asleep at his desk and wrecking his neck and back, Hux could sit on one of the couches. He’d still wake up cramped, having slumped over his data pad anyways, but at least the couch was softer than a desk.

Tonight he’d left the datapad on his desk, choosing to take some time to relieve his eyes and neck. Most of the decorations stored in his office were worthless trinkets and baubles, and he looked forward to rotating them out of his sight when it was socially acceptable. Some things he really did cherish, though, and chief among them were the lightsabers from Kylo.

Over the years Kylo had gifted him souvenirs, and few of them had been uninteresting. It was a job perk, he assumed, and some backwards way for Ren to ask for forgiveness without actually asking. Hux may never fully trust him, but he would have been a fool to turn down the offer of power, and all that came with it. The lightsabers, though -- they were unusual gifts. He would have thought Kylo would keep them for himself, obsessed with relics of the Force as he was, but… even he knew Kylo’s interests were rooted firmly in the dark side, and the Sith. He kept those, Hux assumed. The rest came to him.

The sabers had become a favorite in his collection, and some digging into the Imperial archives eventually yielded who had owned them. Even if the records had been incomplete, he would have gotten the names eventually, surely given to him by the kyber crystals themselves. 

Hux started, not even realizing he’d been nodding off. For a moment he felt like he’d had some unsettling dream, grasping at details, and trying to regain his train of thought. Right -- he’d been thinking about the sabers. Correcting his posture, he contemplated getting up to retrieve one. Sometimes Hux liked to see their inner workings, though he rarely ignited them, never fought with them. The function was less appealing than the design, he’d always thought. These were elegant, well thought out, showing off centuries of refined techniques. Nothing at all like that hissing mess of wires Kylo Ren called a lightsaber.

Kyber was a rare thing, however, so he supposed Kylo’s attachment to his saber was somehow logical. The Empire had drained the galaxy of many sources of kyber, and the First Order had sucked up one of the last considerable supplies with Starkiller. Hux didn’t regret the loss. If anything, it made the resurgence of the Jedi less likely. What were they without their silly robes and glowing swords, anyways?

Deciding he did want to hold one of the sabers after all, Hux raised his hand, focusing his attention on one in particular. It belonged to a Jedi Knight, a twi’lek, who had escaped the initial purge only to be captured later. They hadn’t pleaded for mercy, or even offered to surrender, but they _had_ died screaming, the sound pitched and grating in his head --

“Hux?” Kylo Ren appeared out of the shadows, and Hux jolted. Had he fallen asleep again? When had the lights in his office gone out? “What are you doing?”

“Ren?” Hux rubbed his face, again feeling the after effects of a dream, like a bad taste in his mouth. “When did you get here?”

“I’ve been here,” Kylo said, frowning. “You greeted me when I walked in.”

“Did I?” That surprised Hux. Not that he’d ever had a… partner to tell him he talked in his sleep, but it was a possibility. “I… don’t remember.”

Kylo was silent, watching him, before turning to inspect the sabers. After a moment, he said: “I should have known better. Hux, let me see something.”

Hux recoiled when Kylo approached, one hand outstretched towards Hux’s head. “No, no absolutely not. Ren, you promised -- it was one of my conditions for taking this role. Don’t you dare.”

“I’m not going to read your mind,” Kylo said, though he’d stopped, hand wavering. Hux didn’t believe him. “But you can show me.”

Hux scoffed, his indignity jumping to surprise when Kylo kneeled in front of him, close enough to feel his heat. “What --”

“Just close your eyes. Please.” There was no way he should even consider obeying, but he found himself unable to deny the request. Another trick in the Force. Kylo couldn’t even make it a few years without invalidating their agreement --

It happened very quickly. Hux thought only of the crystals for a moment, and Kylo’s presence laid bare the truth. It was like he’d been looking at everything through broken glass, fractured and cracked, but smoothed over by the influence of kyber, disguising its effects. He felt nauseous, and dizzy.

“You’re doing this,” Hux said, his voice raw and accusatory.

“I’m not. It’s the crystals. You were overexposed to them on Starkiller, and they’re affecting you even now.”

“I never -- I never suffered any ill effects from my work on Starkiller --”

“Not then, no, but it’s catching up to you. You’re not Force Sensitive. They could drive you mad.”

“I’m not _mad,_ ” Hux snarled, cringing at the sound of his own voice. He flinched when he felt Kylo’s hand on his face, but he didn’t tear away from the contact. In contrast to the dizzying pull of the crystals, Kylo’s touch felt grounding. It felt real, while everything else felt dreamlike and stretched out, distorted in ways he was only just now realizing.

Kylo was right -- it wasn’t late nights or stims. The crystals had begun unravelling him, taking vengeance for Starkiller, for the Hosnian system, for all of it --

“Shh,” he heard Kylo say. “It’s alright. I’ll take care of it.”

And Kylo did exactly that. The dizziness, the whispers, the distortion, all of it faded away. Hux became aware that he was sweating and breathing heavily, his hands tight on Kylo’s wrists as he cradled Hux’s face. He opened his eyes briefly, searching Kylo’s face for something he wasn’t even certain he was looking for, but he must have found it. Hux closed his eyes again and leaned forward, pressing his lips to Kylo’s. When Kylo didn’t react, Hux pulled back and then pressed in again, kissing him harder, desperate to get what he wanted out of Kylo -- whatever that was, exactly.

Kylo finally responded, cupping the back of Hux’s head and returning the kiss, softening Hux’s initial enthusiasm. The relief Hux felt, both from the loss of the crystal’s influence and the reciprocation from Kylo, made him weak. He felt so warm, so comfortable, that it was a very disorienting, groggy sort of surprise when he found himself… waking up.

He was still in his office, and still on the couch, but a blanket had been thrown over him, his face smashed into a very warm pillow. Hux saw his boots on the floor, stacked neatly side-by-side. Across the room, he was not surprised to see that the lightsabers were gone, their pedestals empty. When had he fallen asleep? How long had he been asleep?

Pushing himself upright, Hux realized his pillow had actually been Kylo Ren’s thigh. The Supreme Leader was slouched over the edge of the couch, his head propped up in one hand, mouth slightly ajar. When Hux gathered the blanket around his own shoulders, Kylo started awake, and they looked at one another, unsure of where to begin.

“I’m sorry,” Kylo finally said. “About last night.”

“Which part?”

“Well. Not the part where you kissed me.” Hux felt heat rushing to his face, but Kylo just stood up, hands on his hips as he stretched out his back. “Come on. I asked Anise to make those lemon tarts you like so much for breakfast.”

“You can’t have just lemon tarts for breakfast, Kylo,” Hux said, wobbling a little as he stood up. When Kylo held out his arm, he took it without questioning the offer.

“I think you’ll find there are a lot of things we can do now.”

Hux couldn’t disagree with that, he supposed. With the blanket still wrapped around Hux’s shoulders, trailing behind him like a regal cape, they walked arm in arm down the halls, leaning on one other far more than was necessary.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kylux Positivity Week 2.0 Day 5: Fix-It

“I hope this isn’t your idea of romantic,” Hux sniffed, his back to Kylo.

Kylo himself wasn’t sure how to take that comment -- they were on Naboo in the summer, staying at an isolated lake-side estate, surrounded by picture perfect nature and beauty. Anyone else in the galaxy would think it the textbook definition of romantic. As much as Hux favored that garden observatory on Coruscant, Kylo figured his mistake was exposing Hux to nature that wasn’t contained or carefully climate controlled. The estate, at least, was filled with modern amenities. It wasn’t like he’d taken him to a cabin in the woods.

“You’re welcome to stay inside all weekend,” Kylo said, slouching down on the couch. Hux wasn’t too far away, standing at the edge of the veranda and looking out at the lake disdainfully. “Or you could change into clothes suited for the climate, and enjoy yourself.”

Hux would never admit to being too hot, but Kylo could see him sweating from here. The heavy, decorated tunics and robes he wore were still sharp enough to pass for a military uniform, yet totally impractical for day to day wear. With an aggrieved sigh in lieu of a response, Hux turned away from the lake and joined Kylo on the couch.

“This place belongs to my mother’s side of the family.” Kylo reached out to Hux, running his knuckles down his arm. Hux looked nonplussed. “In fact, my grandparents were married here.”

Hux scoffed, instantly standing up. “I should have guessed this was part of your obsession with Vader.”

Wounded, Kylo scowled, looking away from Hux before he shot back with something nasty about his father, Brendol. With the sole exception of Anise, family was a sore topic. Kylo could see his mistakes with this vacation mounting rapidly.

“This is a waste of time,” Hux said, striding towards the interior doors.

“You said you wanted a break!” Kylo called after him. “This was _your_ idea!”

“ _This_ ,” Hux spun around, waving one hand in the air. “Was your idea, not mine. I wanted a break, yes, but shore leave is fine. Running off to the first planet that reminded you of Vader’s nuptials is hardly a _vacation._ ”

It was lucky that the door couldn’t slam, otherwise Kylo would have ripped it off the tracks after Hux swept inside. He ought to stay here, let Hux sort out his frustrations, and not escalate anything. They argued less and less, but at times their differences, and their contentious past, made itself known.

Rather than let cooler heads prevail, Kylo followed Hux back into the house, ready for the fight that Hux had been instigating. He drew up short when he found Hux with his face in his hands, looking small and lost where he’d double over on the couch. Kylo hovered, thinking it might be best to leave. He knew from experience that when Hux looked vulnerable, he was at his most vicious.

Common sense lost again, and Kylo carefully sat down across from Hux, fingers flexing in agitation. He said nothing, quite literally biting his tongue. He’d made Hux a lot of promises years ago, and he’d meant to keep them, even if Hux made it near impossible.

“I don’t know how to do this,” Hux finally said, voice muffled behind his hands.

“You… don’t know how to take a vacation?”

Hux lifted his head from his heads, and the look he shot Kylo would’ve killed a lesser man. His face was red, and his eyes were bright, which startled Kylo. He’d never seen Hux cry, not even when he’d reunited with Anise.

“Don’t be an ass,” Hux snapped, and Kylo nodded. Message received: shut up and let Hux talk. “You know what I mean. All of… all of this. You were raised in this sort of atmosphere, with luxury and fine clothes. I’ve had to fight constantly to be seen as the Chancellor of the First Order, instead of some backwards Outer Rim rat. It’s exhausting. I can’t be paraded around places like this on my freetime, too. I can’t.”

“It’s just you and me, here,” Kylo said gently, in case Hux wasn’t finished. 

“That’s the other problem,” Hux said, and Kylo felt his heart drop into his stomach. Anise had been beaming at them the entire time when they’d had nothing but lemon tarts for breakfast. Since then, it hadn’t exactly been… easy. Hux was still distant, and they took their time together in snatches here and there. Patience was not Kylo’s strong suit. Just the same, he was learning for Hux. “You were also raised around people that had… _relationships._ You weren’t defined by rank. Affection is normal for you. I don’t know how to do it. And sometimes -- sometimes I wonder why it had to be _you._ One of the people that hurt me the most, and it’s _you_ I had to fall in love with.”

Kylo was very certain his heart stopped beating, or maybe just time had stopped. He’d even believe both could be true.

“I won’t say yes, you know,” Hux was saying, his expression hardening again. “You just -- you have to give me more time.”

Now Kylo was confused, and it must have shown on his face. “Yes to what?”

“You said it yourself,” Hux sounded uncertain. “Your grandparents wed here.”

“You thought I brought you here to get _married?_ ” 

Hux’s face was very red now. “It sounds stupid when you say it now.”

Kylo stood up, crossing the room so he could fold himself in front of Hux, much like he’d done before removing the lightsabers from his office. “Hux, I’ll give you a thousand years, if that’s what you need. Naboo is a peaceful planet. I thought you’d like the quiet. That’s all. Can we talk about the part where you said you loved me?”

“Shut up,” Hux said automatically, no heat in his voice. “Is this what you meant, then, about forgiveness? About making it up to me, all those horrible things you did?”

Kylo nodded, tipping his head back when Hux traced Kylo’s lower lip with two fingers.

“How long have you wanted this, then?” Hux asked, quiet, as Kylo pursed his lips.

“Since the day I met you.”

“You did not! Don’t be ridiculous. If that’s true, it doesn’t explain a single thing you’ve done since then.”

“I didn’t say it made sense, or that I didn’t make a thousand mistakes over the years,” Kylo said. “But it’s true. I wanted you since the day we met. I just never thought I could have you. I still don’t. If it’s even possible to fix what went wrong.”

“Well,” Hux cut him off, running his hand through Kylo’s hair now. “There’s no fixing any of that. But I can live with it, if you can.”

“I can,” Kylo said. He was learning to live with it already, beyond just reacting to it in a fit of rage. Long ago he’d been drawn to the stability and structure of Hux’s mind, and even now it brought him some peace. Losing it now might actually destroy him.

“I’m still angry at you. For a lot of reasons.”

“I know,” Kylo said, laying his head down in Hux’s lap. “I know.”

The future he’d seen with Hux, contingent on Hux accepting the role of Chancellor, was still in sight. The frustrating part was that there was no final chapter, no special day to mark when they’d finally made it. Like everything else, it was ever-shifting, never concrete or guaranteed. 

Sitting on the floor with Hux combing his fingers through his hair, Kylo at least knew they were on the right track.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kylux Positivity Week 2.0 Day 6: Chandrila Vs. Arkanis. Please note the rating change!! They get a little frisky in this one c:

There wasn’t a specific sound that woke Hux, but rather the absence of one. When he rolled over in bed, Kylo’s side was empty, and Hux sat up, squinting at the sunlight filtering into the room. He spotted Kylo a moment later, standing out on the balcony, completely naked and without a care in the galaxy, it seemed. 

Likely sensing Hux’s return to consciousness, Kylo turned around and walked back into their room. The breeze that followed him was sun-warmed but still cool, and when Kylo climbed back into bed, the tip of his nose was cold.

“You told me it rained everyday on this planet,” Kylo said, stretching out on top of the comforter. It seemed endearing, but Hux was wiser now -- he knew it was an effective method to trap Hux under the sheets.

“It does. Surely it’s raining _somewhere,_ just not here.” Hux yanked at the sheets, keeping his side open for a quick escape if needed.

“No, you were very insistent that it rained everywhere, all the time. ‘One of Arkanis’ defining characteristics,’ you said.”

“I’m impressed you were even listening,” Hux said, realizing he was running out of room on the bed to wiggle away from Kylo. Kylo had already wormed his arms back under the sheets, despite Hux’s best efforts. His hands were cold, too, making Hux shiver.

“The only person that loves hearing the sound of your voice more than you is me.” Kylo was talking into Hux’s neck now, and whatever retort Hux had prepared was cut off as Kylo’s fingers slid up between his thighs. “You’re still wet.”

“You’re still insatiable,” Hux whined, back arching as his body betrayed him, giving itself over entirely to Kylo’s hands. They’d gone three rounds last night, and Hux couldn’t even be upset about Kylo’s need to go again when Hux was just as willing.

After Hux had come all over himself on Kylo’s fingers alone, they moved to the shower, where Hux intended to return the favor. Stroking him off was clumsy, if only because Kylo couldn’t keep his hands to himself, always pulling and touching Hux somewhere, kissing the breath out of him when he was trying to concentrate. By the end, they’d both forgotten whether either of them had actually washed properly. Hux was certain they’d shampooed Kylo’s hair twice.

Getting dressed came to be a challenge as well, but it was easier to avoid Kylo’s hands when he wasn’t trapped under the covers. “We have actual work to do here, you know. We’ve had our fun.”

“We should have booked the downtime for _after_ the summit,” Kylo groused, sitting on the edge of the bed, lacing up his boots. Hux was standing in front of the full length mirror, fussing with his cuffs but also watching Kylo in the reflection.

“Dessert comes after dinner,” Hux said, quickly turning his attention back to himself when Kylo met his gaze in the mirror. “You’ve been spoiled, is all.”

“I’m the Supreme Leader,” Kylo stood, walking up behind Hux like a predator stalking its prey. “I can have dessert whenever I want.”

“Spoiled, like I said,” Hux turned as Kylo grabbed his hips, leaning in to kiss him. If Kylo had his way, they’d be naked again in ten minutes, but Hux kept them on task, nipping Kylo’s lower lip when he pulled away. “Come on. We’ll be late.”

Despite the height and width of him, Kylo still had a bad habit of slouching, shoulders rounded as they walked through the halls. It was unbecoming of a Supreme Leader, especially one so exposed to the public. Hux had found it easy to correct if they walked arm in arm, but they had never let on to their arrangement in professional settings. Hux found the behavior of couples in public to be distasteful, and while he was willing to admit that was the fault of his upbringing, Kylo never pressured him. He even said it was entertaining to watch the gossip holos and tabloids speculate over every tiny gesture when they were photographed together.

Hux didn’t even know what to call them. Partners? Lovers? Nothing really seemed to apply, and perhaps nothing needed to anyways. They could be above such things, after all. Spoiled, the pair of them.

“We should visit Chandrila after this,” Kylo said, rousing Hux from his thoughts.

“Why would we ever want to go there?”

“Arkanis is your birthplace; Chandrila is mine. The weather is nice there. Maybe it will rain when we go.”

“I didn’t pick Arkanis for this summit because I was born here,” Hux rolled his eyes. They were approaching the chamber doors, where one of Kylo’s knights was waiting. “It wasn’t for sentimental reasons.”

Kylo turned his head so his mouth was closer to Hux’s ear, and said: “Liar.”

“Oh, come off it,” Hux shoved at him with his free arm, but there was no dislodging Kylo Ren. “Chandrila sounds like something you’d catch by sleeping with someone _on_ Chandrila.”

“Does it? I was told it rained all the time on Arkanis, that we’d be soaking wet, but the only thing that’s wet here is your --”

Hux cleared his throat loudly now that they’d come to the doors. The knight, whose name escaped Hux just like the rest of them, didn’t react. 

“It’s not my fault it stopped raining the moment you stepped foot on this planet,” Hux said, squaring his shoulders, arm still linked with Kylo’s. “You must be cursed.”

“Then you’re cursed, too,” said Kylo. He was the first to detangle them, stepping away and reaching out to straighten Hux’s belt before Hux slapped his hands away.

“Well,” Hux sighed, turning to face Kylo, giving his outfit a once-over. “I suppose that’s alright.”

“Just alright?” Kylo looked amused.

“More than acceptable,” Hux corrected, getting an actual smile out of Kylo. “If we’re cursed, then we’re cursed together. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“Even though it’s ruined the weather of your homeplanet?”

“Don’t look so smug. I can’t wait to see what our curse does to your wretched homeplanet.”

Kylo laughed, and before long their aides arrived, ready to prepare them for the summit. They’d have time to go to Chandrila right after this, Hux thought. In the beginning, Kylo had been gone for months at a time, chasing the Resistance and anyone else who opposed them. Lately his trips were less and less frequent. Hux would have to question if Kylo was losing focus, or if their enemies were so depleted it really had freed up his time.

Or, maybe he’d gotten better at delegating, like Hux. Either way, Hux wasn’t going to complain about his increasing involvement in ruling… and their relationship. Like the sun shining on Arkanis, he’d cherish it while he had it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kylux Positivity Week 2.0 Day 7: Roleswap

“Go back to bed,” Kylo said, glaring at Hux’s holo. He was sitting at Hux’s desk, hands steepled under his chin as he waited for the Chancellor to give it up.

“Absolutely not.” Hux’s voice was stuffy and thick, and he sniffed every few minutes. “I need access to those files, they need to be verified --”

“They can wait.”

“They can’t, actually, so --”

“Then I’ll take care of them.”

“You haven’t the slightest --” Whatever Kylo was missing was lost in a coughing fit, and Kylo sighed, averting his eyes as Hux struggled to draw in air. Kylo knew he wasn’t in any danger from a cold, but he still hated to see it. Hux didn’t fall ill often, and unfortunately this round was particularly bad. Bad enough that Kylo had locked him in their chambers when he’d left this morning, and had two knights keeping him inside.

Kylo had learned Hux would be ill for weeks if he wasn’t forced to rest. He would just keep working, burning himself out and relying on stims to circumvent the reality of it. Besides the incident with the kyber crystals, Kylo had only used the Force once on Hux as a last resort to spare his health, and their relationship had barely survived. Hux would never consent to being knocked out like that again, so Kylo had to change tactics. First, he overrode all the locks, keeping Hux safe inside their home. Second, his knights would keep watch on any potential jailbreaks.

And the third was standing on the other side of the desk, nervously clutching a datapad and sweating. How Mitaka had survived this long working for Hux, Kylo would never know. 

By the time Hux had caught his breath and was gearing up to talk again, Kylo cut him off. “Go to bed. End of discussion.”

Kylo waved his hand and the holofeed cut off, leaving him with a distraught looking Mitaka. 

“Supreme Leader,” Mitaka began, his voice barely wavering. Kylo was impressed he even took the initiative to speak first. “The files the Chancellor requested are the highest priority. He has their completion scheduled for today.”

“What else does he have scheduled?” Kylo asked, frowning when Mitaka hesitated. “Well?”

“Sir, the Lothal files are very complicated --”

“Just let me see them,” Kylo snapped. Hux could chew through these reports and files in no time, and Kylo of course knew he was lacking context, but how hard could it be? Mitaka handed him the datapad, and Kylo started reading.

He scrolled down to continue, then realized just how much more scrolling was required before he could consider himself familiar with the topic. This wasn’t going to just take all morning -- it would take all day. Kylo set the datapad down, rubbing his forehead with one hand.

“At least tell me what else needs attention today.”

Picking up the datapad again, Mitaka listed off items that sounded just as vitally important. Trade disputes, manufacturing reports, logistics accidents, and on and on and on. Kylo let Mitaka finish so he could pretend he’d cared about all of that.

“Does Hux delegate nothing?”

“Oh, well, sir, those are the main items that the Chancellor deals with personally,” Mitaka said, losing his nervous energy as he settled into his role as… whatever Hux made him do. Report reader or whatever. “He checks in his with his aides multiple times throughout the day to monitor their progress --”

“That’s your job today,” Kylo cut in. “Just give me all relevant information on the Lothal files and don’t bother me for the rest of the day.”

That plan seemed to meet with Mitaka’s approval, who suddenly seemed a bit too giddy with the amount of power Kylo had just given him. Hux wouldn’t keep Mitaka around, especially after all of these years, if he didn’t trust him. He hoped.

Hours and thousands of notes later, Kylo dragged himself out of Hux’s office, ready to pass out despite the steady stream of caf Mitaka had provided for him. He had failed to keep to Hux’s meticulous schedule, of course, but when Mitaka had left for the night, he didn’t seem to be overly fraught about anything. That was a good enough indicator Kylo hadn’t ruined Hux’s work and set them back ten years.

Halfway back to his chambers, Kylo diverted course for the kitchen, where he knew he’d find Hux and one of his knights. There was no point in being surprised Hux had escaped -- so long as he didn’t gain access to a datapad, all was well.

“You should be sleeping,” Kylo said, suppressing a yawn as he sat down next to Hux. 

“I could say the same about you.” Hux was finishing up some soup, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, looking better than he had this morning. There was more color in his cheeks, and he looked freshly showered. “I can’t believe you thought you could keep me locked up. How did you expect me to order food without a datapad? Well, here I am.”

“I knew I couldn’t contain you,” Kylo said, closing his eyes as he leaned against Hux. “But did you get a datapad?”  
Hux huffed, which was answer enough. “I suppose I fell for your ploy, then. Did you complete the Lothal archiving, at least?”

“We don’t talk about work while eating,” Kylo said, his tone flat. Hux had his rules in the office, and then he had his rules in their personal lives. “Besides, if I have to hear the word ‘Lothal’ one more time, I’m blowing it up.”

That made Hux laugh, which swiftly devolved into coughing. Kylo wrapped his arm around Hux’s shoulder, pressing him close until the fit passed. Kylo kissed Hux’s temple, nosing his sideburns, which had started to turn grey at the edges.

“Stop, you’ll get sick too,” Hux protested.

“I won’t,” said Kylo, kissing Hux’s ear, then his neck, which wasn’t actually a lead-in to something sexy, just an excuse to rest his head on Hux’s shoulder. He was so tired.

Hux leaned back against him, silent for a few minutes except for his slightly wheezy breathing. “You know, I did get to be you today. With nothing to occupy my time, I just stared at the walls. I was meditating.”

“Is that what you think meditating is?”

“I know that’s what meditating is,” Hux sniffed. “It was that, or assume our empire was on the brink of collapse because I wasn’t there.”

“You’re an engineer, Hux,” Kylo said, turning his face to kiss Hux’s neck again, eyes still closed. “The machine won’t fail without you, because that’s not how you designed it. Your redundancies prevent that. Speaking of which, Mitaka is actually kind of frightening when he starts in on a topic he’s passionate about.”

“We don’t talk about work while eating,” Hux said, though the remains of his soup were cold by now. “But remind me to give him a raise. Let’s go to bed, now. I want to burn out this fever and I can’t do it without you smothering me half to death.”

With his knights dismissed, Kylo led Hux back to their chambers, arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders. Once they were back in their bed, huddled under the sheets, Kylo held Hux as close as he’d allow, legs tangled as he fought to stay awake until Hux fell asleep. It was impossible for him to do Hux’s job, just as Hux couldn’t do his. They could try, but Kylo wouldn’t replace Hux for anything. He had been necessary to the success of the First Order, as he’d predicted all those years ago.

More than that, Hux had been an indispensable ally in all facets of Kylo’s life, keeping him on track while also keeping his heart. Kylo had waited his whole life to take control of his own destiny and fate, and once he’d had it, he gave it over to Hux. It was having the choice, though, that made all the difference.

Hux slowly drifted off as Kylo subtly used the Force to ease his breathing, despite the congestion. He was burning hot against Kylo, who just held him all the tighter, following him into sleep as they dreamt of peace.


End file.
